Jason Knauf has stepped down as the chief executive officer of The Royal Foundation. The former member of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s team reflected on his time working for Prince William and Kate in a post shared on his LinkedIn Thursday.
“As a new year begins, a chapter closes for me. After seven years working for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace and The Royal Foundation I am moving to India to join my husband on a diplomatic posting,” he began.
“Serving as Communications Secretary and then Foundation CEO has been the privilege of my career. We’ve built powerful platforms like Heads Together, The Earthshot Prize, and the Centre for Early Childhood. I’ve travelled to 36 countries and to every corner of the U.K. And I’ve made amazing new friends along the way,” Jason continued. “I’ve been so proud to support the unique, optimistic leadership of The Duke and Duchess during a period where we’ve confronted a pandemic, the climate crisis, a seismic shift in our attitudes to mental health, and so much more. I’m grateful to all of our partners and supporters who have believed in our ability to achieve extraordinary things by working together.”
The Royal Foundation announced last May that Jason would be leaving his position after seven years of working with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He first joined as communications secretary at Kensington Palace in 2015. Jason led a review of the Foundation’s role and structure from March 2019 before becoming CEO in September that year.
In a previous statement, William and Kate said: “Jason has been an integral part of our team since 2015. We are immensely grateful for his hard work and commitment, both at The Royal Foundation and previously as our Communications Secretary.”
“Since taking over as Chief Executive, Jason has driven positive change, making our vision for our charitable work and the causes that matter most to us a reality,” the Duke and Duchess added. “We are sad to see him go but wish him all the very best in his future career.”